January 13th, 2024

This Sunday is the Second Sunday after Epiphany, and that number will increase over the next few weeks. The height of that number will depend upon the date of Easter, and that celebration is relatively early this year. For now, the manifestation (or ‘epiphany’) of Jesus continues, and that manifestation continues to be important. The Gospel text for this Sunday is near the beginning of the Gospel according to John (1:43-51), and in the writings of this website, we are somewhat near the beginning of the Gospel according to Mark.

If you have been with us in this gospel account, you have noticed the increased frequency of the historical presents (when a verb is expected in a past tense, but it is written in the present). So far, the majority of the verbs in the historical present have been the verb ‘to say’. And we have looked a bit more carefully at the verbs that are something other than that.

The beginning of this gospel account gets our attention when Jesus is ‘thrown out’ (1:12) into the wilderness. After that, Jesus, along with some disciples, ‘enter’ into a synagogue, and the reaction is significant. After that synagogue, some different people come to him. A leper ‘comes’ (1:40), and those carrying the paralyzed man ‘come’ (2:3). And some significant reactions come after those two healings.

The coming and the saying of people toward Jesus at the beginning of the text below is another heightening. But one could also say that this heightening is different from the previous reactions. With the first miracle of healing the leper, Jesus is the focus of the reaction (1:45), and with the second healing, the healing of the paralytic, God is more the focus (2:7, 12). Now, in a not-so-obvious way, Jesus puts those two reactions together, using just some words. It is as if he is using a parable of a man and woman in marriage, to reference the great significance of God and man coming together in Jesus.

With this picture language, using various items, Jesus is pointing out his great significance, but in a very hidden way. A more obvious way, a way other than this picture language, that would show his divine power with some powerful miracles, but that would just scare people away. Jesus uses a more hidden way, using just a few words, and that shows his love. And to those who already believe in him, that would draw them closer. This new way of God, this ‘new testament’, is certainly significant. But it was not entirely clear at the time it was happening.

There is also the appearance of the word ‘again’, and we find Jesus doing similar things, but the level of the reaction to Jesus’ words and actions increases significantly. We certainly find that happening below in that synagogue, at the beginning of what is typically called chapter three.

Within this brief encounter in that synagogue, you will get a good idea of how high the tension really is. This is a very early and very significant hatred of Jesus. And within the actions of Jesus, you can see some of the traits of a lion who is moving around in his territory with some definite authority. He knows when to attack, and he knows when to refrain from attacking. He knows what he is doing.

The following attempt at a somewhat-literal translation of Mark 2:18-3:12 has the historical presents in bold print (and you may want to look up some of the parts in a study bible or in another translation, to help with understanding the text):

And they were, the disciples of John and the Pharisees, fasting; and they come and they say to him, “Because of what, the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, now the ones of you, disciples, not they fast?”

And he said to them, the Jesus, “Not they are able, the sons of the bridechamber, in which the bridegroom with them, he is, to fast? As much as time they have, the bridegroom with them, not they are able, to fast. Now they will come, days, when he is taken away from them, the bridegroom, and then they will fast in that, the day. No one a patch of cloth, unshrunk, he sews on a garment, old; now if not, it lifts, the fullness, from itself, the new, from the old, and a worse schism happens. And no one throws wine, new, into wineskins, old; now if not, it will burst, the wine, the wineskins, and the wine is destroyed and the wineskins. But on the contrary, wine, young, into wineskins, new.”

And it happened, he, in the Sabbaths, to go along, through the grainfields, and the disciples of him, they began, a way to make, plucking the grain-heads. And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why they do on the Sabbaths what not is permitted?”

And he says to them, “Never did you read what he did, David, when need he had, and he was hungry, himself, and the ones with him, how he entered into the house of the God, upon Abiathar, high priest, and the Breads of the Presentation, he ate, which not is permitted to eat, if not the priests, and he gave also to the ones with him, being?” And he was saying to them, “The Sabbath, on account of the man, it happened, and not the man on account of the Sabbath; so as Lord is the Son of the Man, also of the Sabbath.”
And he entered again into the synagogue. And he was there, a man, having been withered, having the hand; and they scrutinized him, if on the Sabbath he will heal him, that they might accuse him.

And he says to the man, to the withered hand having, “Rise, into the middle.”

And he says to them, “Is it permitted on the Sabbath, good to do or to do evil, life to save or to kill?” Now the ones were silent.

And having looked around at them with anger, being greatly grieved upon the hardness of the heart of them, he says to the man, “Stretch out the hand.” And he stretched out, and it was restored, the hand of him.

And having come out, the Pharisees immediately, with the Herodians, counsel they were giving against him, how him they should destroy.

And the Jesus, with the disciples of him, departed toward the sea; and a great multitude from the Galilee, they followed, and from the Judea, and from Jerusalem, and from the Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon, multitude, a great, hearing what things he was doing, they came toward him.

And he said to the disciples of him that a boat must remain for him, because of the crowd, that not they should press on him; for many he healed, so as to fall upon him, that him they might touch, as many as they had torments. And the spirits, the unclean, whenever him they beheld, they were falling before him, and they were crying out saying, “You, yourself, are the Son of the God.” And much he was warning them, that not him, known, they make.

The importance of the word ‘again’ was mentioned above, and it is not a bad thing to mention it AGAIN, especially since it appears in the text AGAIN, and it will continue to do so. Jesus can do the same things again and again, but there is a benefit to that. We sin again and again, and the benefit of that is that Jesus forgives. And it is the job of the pastor to pass that good news along. And as a lion covers his territory, Jesus covers the territory of sin.

It also should not be surprising that Jesus got angry. That is the first time that word is used within this gospel account. And it is the only time that word is used. That will not happen again, but, in other books of the New Testament, there is often talk of the wrath of God or the coming wrath.
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Anger gets the attention of people. And that is not a bad thing, especially if the people in need of help are focused on something that is not very helpful. That is like having a hard heart. To be focused on the rule not to work on the Sabbath when they were speaking to the One who is our true Sabbath Rest is a definite focus on the wrong thing, ultimately the exalted self. Thanks be to Jesus for being willing to be lifted upon the cross for all the exalted-self sin.